Questions! Never rooted before but want to

[da2zoe]

I am not new to techno gadgets but I've never ROOTED anything in my life. I've had a couple of Blackberry phones and got the Samsung Fascinate Android phone the day it came out from Verizon (love it) but I've never felt the need to root any of them because they worked just fine for my needs.

However, my NC may be a different story. I'm finishing college and read a LOT of pdf's. This is why I'm considering rooting - I want more options for annotating/highlighting. Not to mention I like Angry Birds....lol.

Before we go any further, you should know I am a Mac person so take this into consideration if you share any links, advice or instructions. If a procedure won't work on a Mac, it won't work for me because I don't have a PC at home. Running OSX 10.6.6 Snow Leopard with broadband internet.

Questions:
1) Lingo....there's so much! What are some key terms I should understand to root? I often see clockworkmod, adb/adb failure, XDA and have no idea what they are.

4) SD card honeycomb booting option?
5) Class 6 card?
6) I know .apk is a file extension but what does it apply to?
7) What is ROM Manager and do I need it?

8) My NC software shows 1.0.1 but is there a newer one I should be worried about whether I root or not? I don't live near a B&N store so reading there is not a concern for me, but are there other issues with the update?

9) Do software updates install automatically (kinda like on Android or BB)? Or do I need to check for them?

10) Terrified of bricking my new best friend......words of advice?

11) Purchased 2 yr protection through Best Buy for NC. If there's a problem after rooting, can it be restored to factory root settings so I can have it repaired if I need it?

I apologize if the information I'm asking for is duplicated. I've literally spent hours searching forums to get my answers but I find myself overwhelmed with all the different info and lingo. People here seem to have the easiest to understand explanations (particularly Zartemis- you seem pretty brilliant when it comes to this stuff) but I'm hoping to get answers to my particular questions all in one place. Thank you, thank you in advance.

I've subscribed to several threads but still feel like much of it is in "code" but I'm willing to learn.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by da2zoe

Questions:
1) Lingo....there's so much! What are some key terms I should understand to root? I often see clockworkmod, adb/adb failure, XDA and have no idea what they are.

Do not worry too much about the lingo, the process is pretty simply, read the instructions and come back if you have specific questions.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

4) SD card honeycomb booting option?

Don't worry about that for now. Honeycomb is the latest Android release, it is not fully baked for the NC. You can try it later on a SD if you wish.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

5) Class 6 card?

This indicates the speed (usually write speed) of your card. Although recommended to have a class 6, you can use a lower class one. The class is indicated in a number within a circle on the front of the card.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

6) I know .apk is a file extension but what does it apply to?

APKs are Android's applications. They are distributed as an APK (think of it as an .exe on Windows).

Originally Posted by da2zoe

7) What is ROM Manager and do I need it?

It is a replacement for the bootloader that gives you additional options, like nandroid backups (so you can restore a previous state of your NC). You do not need this to root initially, you may consider it later if you fancy playing with your NC and trying new apps and ROMs.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

8) My NC software shows 1.0.1 but is there a newer one I should be worried about whether I root or not? I don't live near a B&N store so reading there is not a concern for me, but are there other issues with the update?

Update first to 1.1.0 and then user the autonooter for 1.1.0. There are some improvements for Wifi as well. There is no reason not to update to 1.1.0, especially since you have not rooted first.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

9) Do software updates install automatically (kinda like on Android or BB)? Or do I need to check for them?

Yes, you can only check for NC software updates by visiting B&N's website.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

10) Terrified of bricking my new best friend......words of advice?

Don't worry, you can't possibly brick it. The process is simple and painless, and you can come back and ask for advice anytime.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

11) Purchased 2 yr protection through Best Buy for NC. If there's a problem after rooting, can it be restored to factory root settings so I can have it repaired if I need it?

It is easy to restore to factory default, it simply requires 8 failed boots in sequence. There are fancier ways to restore to factory, but they require root access.

[Rayven01]

Originally Posted by da2zoe

1) Lingo....there's so much! What are some key terms I should understand to root? I often see clockworkmod, adb/adb failure, XDA and have no idea what they are.

Clockwork Mod (CWM) is a boot loader (something the NC boots from) which allows you to perform backups, restores, and apply ROMs (basically zipped up updates). There's a sticky in this forum that goes much more into depth on CWM and is very well written.

ADB (android debug bridge) is an SDK toolkit from google that allows you to communicate with a rooted android device and perform command-line functions and install/uninstall applications manually. It's pretty technical to set up, and luckily generally not needed with the tools available and the ease of rooting nowadays.

XDA refers to xda-developers.com, a forum for android hackers in general. It has a subforum dedicated to the nook color where much of the rooting/hacking discussion and releases happen.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

4) SD card honeycomb booting option?
5) Class 6 card?

Honeycomb (android 3.0, for tablets) isn't even released yet, and the build floating around for the NC is basically just a toy for people to play around with the new interface. Very buggy and not for general consumption. There are froyo (android 2.2) SD card builds available as well which are a little more fully-baked, but in general running off an SD card is slow, even with a class 6 or better card. You also cannot use the B&N apps on these builds. For most users, stick with a root of the standard NC versions on the internal memory.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

6) I know .apk is a file extension but what does it apply to?

An apk is basically a zipped up android application. Generally if you get the market working you don't have to worry about these unless an app doesn't show up for the NC in the market (some apps are tied to certain devices, even though they technically will work on others.. Angry Birds is a good example).

Originally Posted by da2zoe

7) What is ROM Manager and do I need it?

ROM Manager is kind of like ClockworkMod, except it's an application you run while the device is already booted up. You can do the same kinds of things (backup, restore, install ROM zips, etc). Generally less useful than ClockworkMod because some things cannot be modified while they are in use.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

8) My NC software shows 1.0.1 but is there a newer one I should be worried about whether I root or not? I don't live near a B&N store so reading there is not a concern for me, but are there other issues with the update?
9) Do software updates install automatically (kinda like on Android or BB)? Or do I need to check for them?

The latest version is 1.1. Unrooted devices are supposed to automatically update but it seems very random when/if they do. I have a friend who has a stock 1.0.0 NC unrooted that has never attempted to update itself. You can update to 1.1 manually before rooting by going here. It's worthwhile to go to 1.1 because it works with the read-in-store feature even after rooting, unlike 1.0.1.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

10) Terrified of bricking my new best friend......words of advice?
11) Purchased 2 yr protection through Best Buy for NC. If there's a problem after rooting, can it be restored to factory root settings so I can have it repaired if I need it?

You can rest easy here. It's pretty much impossible to really brick the NC. There hasn't been one single report of a truly bricked device since it came out. Worst case scenario, you can always restore the stock image by interrupting the bootup process 8 times in a row (turn it on, let go of power for 1 second when words appear on the screen, then hold down power again until it turns off. Repeat 7 more times). Even if you somehow manage to destroy the place where this failsafe resides (difficult unless you are attempting to install clockworkmod directly on the internal memory), you can boot off an SD card image and restore it.

Good luck with your rooting. Generally the easiest method is autonooter, available here. Follow the Linux instructions on step 2 by performing it from the Mac terminal window. If you're more comfortable experimenting with clockworkmod on an SD card, I actually prefer this method, as it's much easier to dig into the ROM zips and see what's going on behind the scenes.

[kmack]

I am also running Snow Leopard 10.6.6, no problems with the Nook Color or rooting, but get used to using the OS X terminal app.

[da2zoe]

Thank you so much for your responses!! It's good to know it isn't really possible to brick my NC. I've had it about a week and would break my heart. Great links and information...I'll give it a go.

If anyone has information on how to improve pdf viewing and being able to annotate/hi-light I would really appreciate it.

Happy reading.

[Pushka]

Speaking of Angry Birds, is there any way I can get it? I have the Seasons, but not the original. I have it on my iphone. Rooting - just do it. Watch "huskermania" youtube, he makes it very easy to follow.

[Girl Read Write]

LOL...I rooted and I don't know 90% of the lingo used in the first post of this thread.

[windycitygal]

Like the OP I am a rooting novice with a Mac (and a Mac novice user at that, having switched over from Windows within the past year). I'm trying to root my NC. I've had it since Christmas, have loved it as an eReader, but want to do a bit more with it and tired of waiting for B&N to get around to releasing more apps.

But I am stuck in the rooting process and hoping someone can suggest how to move forward.

My NC is running the most recent update of B&N software (1.1.0).

I got the microSD card and downloaded autonooter 3.0.0 from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=942424

Have read through the instructions there many times and also read through the ones on the Nookdevs forum: http://nookdevs.com/NookColor_Rooting

I extracted the download and the .img file is sitting on my desktop.

Problem: I can't get the .img file to burn to the micro SD card.

When I try the command dd if=auto-nooter-3.0.0.img of=/dev/disk1 in Terminal (yes, I've verified that disk1 is the SD card) all I get in response is No such file or directory.

I've tried just dragging the .img file to the micro SD card and then loading it to my NC, but that doesn't seem to do anything. The NC just came up as it normally does.

So: what am I overlooking here? What am I doing wrong?

[windycitygal]

Still stuck, but just adding another update.

I found a reference on another board where someone else was having the same problem. She apparently figured it out, but never posted the fix. :/

In reply to that thread it was suggested that she type cd desktop in Terminal. I tried that and got dd: /dev/disk1: Resource busy

The micro SD card is new. Before the last try, I reformatted it because I was afraid that my previous attempts may have left files on their that would mess up the process.

Same questions: what am I overlooking? what am I doing wrong?

[Rayven01]

Originally Posted by Pushka

Speaking of Angry Birds, is there any way I can get it? I have the Seasons, but not the original. I have it on my iphone.

Luckily the developer also posts their apps at getjar.com:
http://www.getjar.com/mobile/43600/a...alaxy-tab/?f=1

[Pushka]

Originally Posted by Rayven01

Luckily the developer also posts their apps at getjar.com:
http://www.getjar.com/mobile/43600/a...alaxy-tab/?f=1

ooh, thankyou!

[windycitygal]

I finally found the problem after consulting a friend with Mac Terminal skills and looking at some videos. I'm going to post another thread about how to root with a Mac. I'm sure I'm not the only one with limited experience who runs into these problems.

[sjkevin]

Originally Posted by windycitygal

I tried that and got dd: /dev/disk1: Resource busy

This might mean that you need to "unmount" the SD card first.

(I'm not sure if that's the right Mac terminology; basically you have to tell your computer to eject the SD filesystem from your desktop before it'll let you wipe it out.)

[sjkevin]

Never mind, windycitygal. I see you already figured it out, and posted a helpful write-up:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=121373